To Share The Same Traits
by roo17
Summary: Naruto tires to commit suicide, but fails. In the hospital, he meets a patient named Gaara who had 'fallen down the stairs.' After leaving the hospital, Naruto is determined to find Gaara and become his friend and all Gaara wants is Naruto's safety.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting Suicide

To Share The Same Traits  
>Chapter One: Whatcha In For?<p>

**Summary: **Naruto tries to commit suicide but ends up living. When he awakes in the hospital, the patient he shares the room with turns out to be a quiet redhead named Gaara who had 'fallen down the stairs.' When Naruto leaves the hospital, he is determined to find Gaara and become the best friend he ever had and Gaara is determined to keep the hyper blond safe and out of trouble as much as he can. NaruGaa, ItaSasu, SasDei

**x-x-x**

_Cut my life into pieces, I reach my last resort. Suffocation, no breathing. Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding. Do you even care if I die bleeding? Would it be wrong, would be right, if I took my life tonight? Chances are that I might. Mutilation out of sight, and I'm contemplating suicide.  
><em>_-Papa Roach (Last Resort)_

**x-x-x**

He fell to the floor, nearly hitting his head against the bathtub on the way down. He stared at the white ceiling, at the bright lights that seemed to grow brighter ever second as everything else around him dimmed and blurred. A tear spilled from his eye and ran down his cold cheek. He thought about his life and his guardians and all the friends he could have had; all the fun and experiences that could have been his if he hadn't been born such a freak. _'Heh, friends…'_ He had only 3; Sasuke the pretty boy who was fucking his own brother, Neji the jerk who believes in a thing called destiny, and Shikamaru the genius who had no motivation to do anything whatsoever. Of course, though, they were always too busy with their own lives to hang out the freak of the town, leaving him alone almost all of the time. His guardians were always busy with their jobs to always be around him too. _'Heh, guess I am all alone…'_ He felt himself slowly fade, hearing the constant dripping of water from the sink fade to silence. He gave a small smile as he felt his body go cold and numb, taking almost all the pain away. He continued to stare at the brightening lights on the ceiling as the bathroom door was kicked down and Iruka rushed over to his side, grabbing two bath towels and wrapping one around his wrist and applying pressure to it. He threw the other one to Kakashi who did the same to his other wrist. He could see they were calling, shouting his name, but didn't hear a thing. "Naruto! Naruto, hang in there!" They seemed to be moving in slow motion as they continued to press the now blood soaked towels against Naruto's bleeding wrists. The blond could feel his blood create a tiny pool of blood around his arms, making Iruka even more concerned. _'Weird… they actually look like they care that I'm dying… Of course they do, they love me. They're the ones… who saved me. So why… am I putting them through all this pain?'_ It made no sense to Naruto at the moment, nor could he remember why he had chosen to slit his wrists in the first place. But before his world converted to darkness, Naruto gave one last laugh and smile, surprising his guardians. He was just glad that, hopefully, if he went to heaven, he wouldn't be have to be alone anymore.

He could feel the soft cotton blankets rub against his skin as he moved his fingers and could smell the stench of sterilization of a hospital. His wrists tingled slightly as the pain was numbed by morphine and he knew he had survived. He flicked his eyes open only to see more bright, beautiful lights. He looked towards his side and saw Iruka, Kakashi and Jiraiya standing next to him with concerned expressions. "Naruto, how you feel?" Naruto just stared for a few seconds before answering.

"Per-Pervy Sage…" His voice was cracked and hoarse.

"Hey, how ya feeling?" The blond gave a cough and went to reach for a glass of water next to his bed when Iruka grabbed it for him and held it to his lips. He took a few sips before nodding he was through and leaned back into his pillows.

"I'm fine."

"Naruto…" Kakashi, his second guardian who always kept his left side of his face covered with a mask, spoke in an almost stern voice.

"Why, Naruto?" Naruto couldn't look at Iruka when he spoke in that hurt tone.

"I… don't know why."

"Naruto, you–"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," he butted in and the three adults nodded, understanding how he felt.

"We'll be back later to check on you," Jiraiya, his third guardian who was a pervert and wrote the Make-Out Paradise series, spoke in a kind voice as he left, Kakshi following close behind.

"Yeah, ok." Iruka stood up and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Rest and take it easy. I'll try to sneak some ramen in for you later." Naruto smiled and chuckled.

"Heh, deal." After Iruka left the room, Naruto sighed and suddenly realized how tired he was. He closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep. An hour later he awoke to a nurse entering the room. She gave him a warm smile and he couldn't help but return one.

"How are you, do you need anything?"

"Nah, I'm good, thanks." As he said this, Naruto suddenly realized he had a bandage across his nose and wondered how the hell he got a wound there. _'I'm gonna have to ask Iruka about that…'_ He wouldn't have been surprised if he had been told they dropped him when moving him into an ambulance, knowing that sometimes Iruka and Jiraiya could be a little clumsy. The nurse smiled again and headed for the other patient in the room that Naruto hadn't even noticed. It was a boy around his age, 16 or so, with blood-red hair with an equally colored 'ai' kanji tattoo on his left temple that translated to the word 'love'. His pupil-less teal eyes were outlined by thick eyeliner and his skin was a soft pale. The first word that popped into Naruto's mind when he saw the boy was: _'Beautiful…'_ The nurse checked the usuals on the boy and by her expression, everything seemed to be fine.

"How are you feeling?" The boy didn't respond, only stared straight ahead. She turned his face gently towards her and that was when Naruto noticed the right half of the boy's face was bandaged. "Does it hurt at all?" There was still no answer and the nurse sighed. "Well I'll be back later to check on your other injuries. Until then, rest." She left the room and Naruto looked down at his bandaged wrists, feeling nothing but guilt wash over him. He just put the three people who ever cared about him through so much pain and worry. He gave a sad smile and he looked into his lap.

"Heh, I wonder if they'll ever forgive me… I guess everyone was right, I _am_ nothing but a screwup." From the corner of his eyes, he could see the redhead turn towards him and looked up to meet his gaze. "Um… hey, what's up?" The redhead never responded, but only kept looking at Naruto. "My name's Naruto Uzamaki, what's yours?" The redhead remained silent and Naruto gave a sigh. _'I guess even he doesn't want to talk to me.'_

"Gaara." The deep voice brought Naruto out of his thoughts and blinked.

"What?"

"My name is Gaara."

"Huh…" Naruto stared at the redhead as he looked away. "Kind of an odd name."

"Hn, you're one to talk, Spiral Fishcake." Naruto gave a tiny blush and tried to think of a comeback, but didn't come up with any at the moment.

"Whatever. So Gaara, I've never seen you around before. You just move to Konoha?"

"Yes. I lived in Suna."

"Suna? Wow, that's pretty far from here. I heard their sunsets are amazing though."

"They are…" There was a silence between the two and Naruto thought of what to say to keep a conversation going.

"So, uh… Whatcha in here for?" _'Stupid, stupid, stupid question, you idiot!' _He mentally scolded himself.

"…I slipped down the stairs and landed on a table."

"Ouch, that must have hurt." He received no answer, but did receive a question.

"Slit wrists?"

"Y-Yeah…" Naruto looked back at them and sighed, bringing them to rest against his legs as if he were trying to hide them. "I have no idea why I even did it. I wish I didn't though, I'd take it back if I could."

"You don't seem like the type of person who would do something like that." Now that caught Naruto's attention because this kid had never met him before, how would he know what type of person he was?

"How so?"

"It's your eyes."

"W-What?" The redhead looked back over at him, his expression and voice still emotionless.

"Your eyes, they tell a lot about you. I can tell you're a naturally happy person who sometimes lets all your problems get to you. You probably had so many problems to deal with, you didn't know what to do. And somehow, suicide got into your mind." Naruto stared at the boy dumbfounded.

"W-Wow, that's almost dead on. I can't believe you can tell all that from my eyes…" The redhead just shrugged. Naruto tried looking at the other boy's eyes, but couldn't exactly read them all that well. "Hey, when we get released from here, maybe we could hang out! It'd be fun!"

"No." It was a simple answer, no reasons were followed or anything. Just, no.

"Well, why not?"

"I'm moving back to Suna after I get out of here. And unless you plan to drive three hours straight to visit, I doubt we'll be able to 'hang out'." Naruto seemed distressed by the news, but came up with another idea instead.

"Hey, I know!" Gaara looked over in curiosity when Naruto threw his fist into his hand. "We can send each other letters! That way we can at least stay in touch, right?" Naruto couldn't have looked more happier with his idea, hoping he could finally stay in touch with someone he could really _talk _to. Well, maybe not _talk_ to, but at least _write_ to. The redhead sighed inwardly, not wanting to burst the kid's bubble by replying with no and maybe causing the boy to go into another depression/suicidal mode.

"Sure," was all he said before the blond whooped with joy and excitement. Of course, that sound caught the attention of several nurses who came running in out of concern and because the blond seemed to excited, they were almost forced to give the kid a sedative which instantly made him calm down. The nurses came in concerned, but they seemed to leave with smiles after talking with the boy. _'He's a strange but happy one, that Naruto,'_ the redhead thought. _'It seems like he has the ability to cheer up everyone who's around him.'_

"Does it hurt?" Gaara furrowed his nonexistent eyebrows.

"What?"

"Your wounds, do they hurt?"

"No."

"Oh, well, that's good. I mean, it's not good you have them, but it's good that you can't feel them."

"Hn." Naruto laid back into his bed and gave another yawn, suddenly finding himself exhausted again. But before he fell asleep, the same nurse from earlier entered the room, giving him a friendly smiled again, and walked over to Gaara. Naruto watched as she examined his bandaged face again, searching for any blood stains. When she found none, she lifted up his black shirt and Naruto was surprised to see the boy's entire chest and back bandaged tightly. Before he fell unconscious, all he could think about was Gaara and those bandages he got from falling down the stairs and landing on a table.

When Naruto finally opened his eyes, he finally felt nice and rested. He went to sit up but a hand held him down and the owner of that hand, he noticed, was his guardian Iruka. Naruto was glad to see him, but when he pulled out a to-go container of Ichiraku Ramen from his coat, Naruto was ecstatic. "You brought me Ichiraku! Aw man, thanks Iruka!"

"Hey, no problem. Glad to see you've been taking it easy since I've been gone."

"Well, I was sitting up early talking with my new friend Gaara right there…" Naruto pointed over to the bed where the redhead once was only to find it empty. "But… he was just right here when I was awake. Hey, excuse me." He called a nurse from the hallway, who was more than happy to come over to the blond. (He recognized this nurse as the lady who was gonna give him a sedative earlier.) "Sorry, I was wondering where my friend Gaara went. He was right over there a while ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but he released soon after you feel asleep." Naruto seemed a little saddened by this and the nurse suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and he asked us to give you something when his uncle came to pick him up. I'll go get it." The nurse returned within a minute and Naruto was wondering what the redhead could have possibly left him. She gave him a small bottle half full of soft normal desert sand. But, Naruto noticed, the bottom half was fine black sand, a rarity to find in deserts. "He said he could tell someone like you always wanted something like a sand collection." Naruto took the bottle and treated it with great care. It was true, he always did want something like this. He gave a smile and thanked the nurse, leaving him alone with his guardian again.

"Well this Gaara fellow sure sounds nice."

"Heh, he is…" Naruto continued to stare at the bottle for a while before setting in his his pocket and looking over at his guardian. "Er, now how about some of that ramen?" Iruka gave a chuckle and ruffled the blond's hair.

"Of course. Anything for you, Naruto."

**xxx  
><strong>**And that's a wrap folks! So, how did you like it? I actually got the idea when I was over at my cousin's house. They were there just playing their Super Smash Brawl and the idea just popped into my head. So, did Gaara really fall down the stairs and land on a table? Will Iruka be able to let Naruto out of his sight again? Will Naruto ever not like Ichiraku Ramen? Find out soon in To Share The Same Traits! R&R please!  
>(I also put this because I wanted to know your opinions on it so I could finish the next chapter! Thank you!) <strong>

_The darkness I live in, the darkness I love  
><em>_~roo the nobody vampire_


	2. Chapter 2: Famous Last Words

To Share The Same Traits  
>Chapter Two: A Needle In A Haystack<p>

x-x-x  
><em>"Actually, it's more like we're looking for a needle in a pile of needles. A needle would stand out in a haystack."<br>__"Okay, then we're not looking for someone who stands out."  
><em>_"No, we're looking for a particular needle in a pile of needles."  
><em>_-Reid and Morgan (Criminal Minds)  
><em>x-x-x

* * *

><p>Naruto was released two days after meeting the mysterious redhead in the hospital and couldn't have been more anxious to write the boy a letter until reality suddenly sunk in deeply as he was talking to Iruka while walking downtown. Iruka gave a concerned look and tapped Naruto on the shoulder. "Hey, you okay? Is something wrong?"<p>

"I told Gaara I'd write him a letter."

"Yeah, so…?" Naruto looked up at his guardian with both seriousness and distress.

"I never asked for his address." Iruka blinked and sweat-dropped.

"That's just sad, Naruto."

"Grr, I know! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He smacked himself in the forehead before an idea popped into his mind. "I know! I'll just go to Suna and ask if anyone knows who he is!"

"You sure though? I mean, Suna is pretty big. It's got a population of three million, and not to mention that for all you know, he could live in Suna or in one of the many small villages surrounding it. Chances are, you're probably not gonna be able to find him with that strategy." Naruto seemed saddened by the news. "But you could always call the schools and see if he's registered in any of them."

"Of course! Thanks for the idea, Iruka! I'll meet you back at home, okay? See ya!" And before Iruka even had a chance to respond, the blond had taken off in the direction of his home. "I'm gonna find him no matter what it takes, dattebayo!" He ran through his front door out of breath but wasted no time in catching it. Instead, he ran straight for the phone and dialed Suna's Directory Number and waited for someone to answer.

_"Hello, this is the Directory Number for Suna, which numbers would you like?"_

"Could I please have the numbers to all the high schools in Suna?"

_"Sigh, please hold on for a second."_

"Okay. Sheesh, she sure doesn't sound happy." Once the unhappy operator gave him all four numbers, the blond quickly dialed the number to Suna High; the main high school for the land of Suna. "Um, hi, I was wondering if a Gaara attends this school?"

_"Yes, one."_

"Um, could I please have his number or address?"

_"I'm sorry sir, but we don't give out information of students freely to strangers."_

"Oh, I'm not a stranger. I'm his second cousin, Naruto."

_"I'm sorry sir, but unless you came to the office, we're not allowed to give out this personal of information. Have a nice day."_ Naruto hung up the phone with a huff.

"Well, that didn't go as good as I thought it would. I guess I have no choice but to head to Suna. But first, ramen time!"

Naruto yawned as he got off the bus, stretching his arms into the air as they popped and cracked. He couldn't believe he was actually in Suna! _'Actually, i can't believe Iruka actually let me come here alone after what I did two days ago…'_ Naruto didn't know whether he should be grateful or worried, but soon put that thought aside. Right now, he had a bigger problem to deal with: Where the hell was Suna High? "I just had to come without a map. Stupid, stupid, stupid." He looked around at the surrounding buildings trying to get at least a small idea of where he was. "Aw, who am I kidding! I've never been here before, I have no idea where I am! Excuse me, ma'am? Do you know where the high school is?" The woman he asked was around 19 or so, with her blond hair pulled back into four short and spiky ponytails.

"Yeah, about a mile that way." She pointed north and Naruto grinned.

"Thanks!"

"No problem, squirt." Naruto started off north and found himself at the office of the high school. He walked over to the door and turned the handle… only to find it locked. He blinked and tried the door again, but it was still locked. He looked down at the watch he put on and found the time was five-thirty. _'Thirty minutes late… fail.'_

"Well that's okay, right, Naruto? We'll just take the bus back and come back tomorrow! Dattebayo! But what time does the next bus leave for Konoha? Gah!" He ran back to the bus stop where he found a bus schedule posted agains the wall. "Okay, let's see, um… Seven-thirty? Aw man, this sucks! I won't get home until almost eleven! This is such a fail!" Passing pedestrians stared at the blond as he talked to himself loudly, some quickening their pace to get a safe distance between themselves and the hyper blond.

Iruka heard the front door open and got up from the couch to see who it was. Much to his relief, it was Naruto; although the blond was looking rather strange at the moment. "Naruto?" Said blond just stood at the door panting. It wasn't until Iruka walked up to him and touched his shoulder did the blond move. He grabbed Iruka by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Must… eat… ramen!" Iruka just chuckled and ruffled the teen's hair.

"Alright, sit down. I'll make it for you. You can tell me how Suna went after." So over a bowl of ramen, Naruto told his guardian all the events that had taken place in Suna. "Naruto, you knucklehead. This is why I always tell you to think before you leap."

"I know, I know, but I just couldn't help but be excited at the thought of writing Gaara!" Iruka chuckled again.

"Well, when you do get his address, you're not gonna just randomly show up at his door, right?"

"Nah, I think I should write him first. Just showing up at his door might make him think I'm a stalker."

"And writing him out of nowhere when he clearly didn't give you an address? That's not stalker-ish?" Naruto thought about this, and just shrugged.

"It's better than going up to him and petting his shoulder while saying '_There you are, my precious…_' in a creepy voice." Iruka laughed.

"I guess you got a point…" Iruka's expression softened as he watched the blond eat his ramen. _'To think… we almost lost him a few days ago…'_ Iruka's heart seemed to throb in pain at the idea of Naruto dying. Apparently Naruto noticed something wrong because he picked his head up from his bowl with a look of concern.

"Iruka? You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking… You know, it's getting pretty late. You got a bus to catch so you should get some rest." Naruto grinned and then saluted.

"Yes, sir!" He put his bowl in the sink and started to head upstairs when he stopped and turned to look at his guardian. "Oh and Iruka? You don't have to worry about me. I'm sorry, and it won't happen again." Then he headed back up the stairs, leaving Iruka surprised. No matter what, it seems Naruto always knows what Iruka is thinking.

"You never cease to surprise me, Naruto Uzumaki…"

The next day at one, Naruto found himself at the front door to the office of Suna High. He mentally laughed at the door as he walked passed it. _'Yeah, try and keep me out now, stupid door!'_ The door moved slightly in the wind and Naruto quickly stepped into the office, afraid the door _would_ stop him from entering the building. After receiving a strange look from the receptionist, he asked for Gaara's address. "You mean _Sabaku, Gaara's _ address?" She asked, surprised, and Naruto gave a nod. She wrote it down and hesitantly gave it to him. He bowed and said his thanks before turning back and walking towards the bus stop. The look she gave him when he mention Gaara's name, what was that all about?

"Eh, who cares. All that matters is that I have Gaara's address now! Dattebayo!" He grinned widely, happy to finally accomplish his side mission. He checked his watch. 1:30. "Thirty more minutes and I'll be on my way back home!"

~**3 1/2 Hours Late**r~

"Iruka! Ramen! Now! Starving! Ramen!" Naruto shouted before he even opened the door. He was relieved to see a steaming hot bowl of ramen already made for him and Iruka reading at the table.

"Well, I see our loudmouth has returned." Iruka said, turning the page of the newspaper. "Please, come in. The ramen's getting cold." Naruto zoomed to the table and chowed down. "So, I'm guessing everything went smoothly then?" Naruto nodded, his mouth filled with noodles. "That's good. Well, I gotta be heading to town soon. You gonna be alright?" He set the paper aside and took his glasses off.

"I'll be fine, Iruka! Don't worry! I'm just gonna write Gaara a letter then probably hit the bed, I've been tired all day."

"Well I don't blame you, you were up until 1:15 this morning." Iruka stretched his arms and legs before heading to the front door with his keys in hand. "Now, are you _sure_ you'll be okay? If not, I can get Kakashi or Jiraiya over here." Naruto grinned.

"I'll be fine, just go! I'll probably be asleep though when you get back."

"Alright… See ya later, then."

"Goodbye!" As soon as Iruka shut the front door, Naruto let a huge grin out. He had Gaara's address! "Well, what am I waiting down here for? I gotta go and start and writing that letter!" He swiftly finished his ramen and headed upstairs to his bedroom, flying to his (for once) clean desk and turned his lamp on. Pulling out a clean piece of paper and a pencil, he scooted in his chair and began to write.

~**Two Days Later**~

Gaara entered his quiet house with some mail, closing the door quietly and sitting at the table to categorize it all. Four were for his father, two were spam and one… He narrowed his eyes slightly. "One for me…?" This surprised him, he never got mail. Hell, he didn't even know anyone who _would_ send him a letter. Unless…

He opened up the letter, noting that the address from Konoha. He opened it up and read it:

_Dear Gaara,_

_Heh, I finally got you address! Took me long enough, I had to take the bus twice to Suna and go to the high school. So, how are you? I hope your wounds are feeling better. And I wanted to thank you for the bottle of sand, it's great! It's sitting on my nightstand next to my bed. I didn't really get to talk to you in the hospital, so I'm hoping maybe we could write to each other daily? It'd be great if we could, I'm always up to the idea of making new friends. Especially because I don't really have many. So, I guess if you're up to it, send my a reply! Take care!_

_-Naruto_

Gaara stared at the later before giving a sigh. Of course, he should have known. He could tell by just looking into his eyes that Naruto would be a determined one. Gaara folded the piece of paper up and slipped it into his pocket for now. He left his dad's mail on the table and threw the spam away, heading upstairs to his bedroom. He walked over to his bed before falling onto it, making himself comfortable and staring at the ceiling with his music on. A day passed and Gaara still hadn't done anything with the letter yet. In fact, he was half tempted to throw it away. Friends weren't really his thing, anyway. But something in the back of his mind seemed to scream something overtime he had that thought. Another day passed and Gaara just didn't understand it. Nothing ever really bothered his mind, so why was this letter occupying his mind every hour of consciousness? After a long day, he found himself sitting on his bed staring at the letter. He sighed. _'What the hell… It's only one letter, what harm could come from it?'_

_**XxXx  
><strong>__**Ah, famous last words, Gaara! Famous last words... Wow, I can't believe I already got seven reviews! I was expecting, like, two. Three at THE very most. So thank you all! :D  
><strong>__**Okay and I now this is OOC, I should have warned you guys. ^^' Sorry bout that. But once again, thanks for reviewing! And once again, tell me what you guys think! It'll help me with the third chapter. :]**_

_The darkness I liveth, the darkness I love  
><em>_~roo the ice vampire_


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